Benefit set for Sept. 6 on square

On Saturday, Sept. 6, the Neosho Square will host a fundraiser to help out Horses Healing Hearts of Neosho.

The fundraiser is titled Ranch Raising and will have a host of events for the entire family.

“It is for an expansion on the ranch. I have been doing horse therapies for about four years, working with PTSD, Wounded Warriors, troubled teens, emotional trauma with children and adults from 3-60s (year olds),” said Dawn Newlan, of Trinity Circle Horses Healing Hearts. “I have been doing it all out of my own pocket, I just can’t afford to do it anymore. I have more demand that I have facility.”

The facility is actually located at 7370 Marten Rd., Neosho, about three miles east of the Under Cliff Restaurant.

The day’s events starts off at 10 a.m. with a motorcycle poker run and a car scavenger hunt running until 2 p.m.

“They will start at Neosho Square, then to Redings Mill Inn, then they will go to Hideout Harley (in Joplin), over to Car Mart on 7th St. in Joplin, then to JR’s Western Wear in Diamond and then back to the square in Neosho, where they will be staying for a bike show,” she said. “At the same time, we will have a car and truck scavenger hunt that will go out on a different run. They will be given a sheet, you have to read the instructions, figure out where your path goes, you have to answer questions on the way, but you have to find it. Then they have to find their way back to the square, and the one who answers the most amount of questions in the least amount of miles will win.”

From 2-6 p.m., there will be an informal car/bike show, with a kids model car/bike show from 2:30-5 p.m.

“All of the military will be represented,” she said. “There will be several different food booths, we have a little bit of everything. We have a tremendous amount of raffle items, silent auction, and all of the games that we are going to do are going to have prizes.”

Newlan said that it is free to attend. People can purchase food items. All donations are welcome.

From 3-5 p.m., there will be a Horses Healing Hearts demonstration and then from 6:30-7 p.m., there will be an awards show. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be a dance party.

“This is our major fundraiser, we have had funds coming in, we have a tremendous amount of interest in the ranch,” she said. “We have people contacting us every day looking on how to help. We have already started some of the fencing and some of the remolding that we are doing on the property.”

Newlan said the expansion will cost about $200,000.

“What we will be doing is we will not only be doing the emotional trauma therapy with all of the children and the adults, but we are also going to have it incorporated with a mustang and horse rescue, so not only are we rescuing the people and helping them, help themselves, but we are going to be able to help the mustangs that are sitting at holding facilities literally dying under the government’s control because there is not enough homes,” she said. “They have to be brought in, gentled down and adopted out. So we will have the adoption facility that will work in conjunction with the emotional trauma and then we are going to have a full training center.”